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European Giant Salamanders
Since the known modern day Giant salamanders from East-Asia China and Japan are described for over a century ago , little have been written about comparable Giant salamanders of the overseas region in the Californian coastal region . All of the Giants known of the ancient genus are a member of the Andrias family .The Andrias family formed the group of largest Salamanders of the world nowadays ,this is probably the only remaining genus that survived into modern times . Europe during the Miocene and subsequent Pliocene Epochs was replete with more salamanders than the continent has seen before or since -- five families including at least two species of giant aquatic salamanders (Andrias scheuchzeri and Ukrainurus hyposognathus) from the family Cryptobranchidae. The fossil record also shows a diverse, related giant salamander species were also thriving in eastern North America at the same time, having arrived from Europe before the North Atlantic split that followed the Cretaceous. This makes us wonder what's left of these ancient giants since the Asian ones still thrive more or the less, the American ones are rare (Hellbenders) or very elusive ,Californian Giants are even not quite accepted as being alive in present times. What about the European giant species ,are there relics of these former giants still out there in the large brook, riverbeds and lakes in Central-Europe ? Surely in extreme large nature region like the Carpathian Mountains,or Alps till the Rhodope Mountains could house quite a series of cryptic unknown species. All the only few remaining species which are described from its long known distribution regions in Japan ( Japanese Giant, Andrias japonicus) and the Chinese Giant Salamanders (Andrias davidianus) ,next to the North-American Hellbender (Cryptobranchus sp.) IT'S European counterpart however remained a great mystery as once thought, till a recent paper (An Andrias sp. in Early-Modern Europe; Nature) sets out the evidence that a giant salamander species did, until recently, inhabited vast parts of Europe, including Britain. In all of the 4 species the IUCN's assessment reports serious declines and diverse ecological problems according to their conservation and protective measures . Next to these well known two genera there's another story that comes from the European mainland . A science report had described at least one species of giant Salamander also a distinct relative of the Andrias genus in Central-Europe. This elusive species which is extinct for an unknown period has had probably a much larger distribution than previously noticed in latest publications . The discovered giant Salamander of Europe is shown and proved at at least two specimens one very large specimen which is probably a young adult ,was about 1,32 cm long , another shows a young tadpole staged larvae . Its existence is known from only one article published in Nature and placed on a few blogs later on ,which shows its elusiveness of this mysterious giant species of salamander , If we look at eye-witnesses and wildlife reports some of the strange cryptids seen in shallow waters in central of West-Europe in ancient times could maybe be distinct relatives or surviving populations of this species if the circumstances of its habitat is stable and large enough to support in food resources and shelter for these large amphibians. Bernard Heuvelmans has written earlier of several different Giant Salamanders in diverse regions in Europe , next to this we probably have to do the next thing that is happening around the Tatzelwurm investigations : Look for prove in museum wildlife regions or eye-witnesses which physical material recent or fossilized can support or become evidence from living or recently extinct specimens . Like in a Danish Zoology museum quite recently happened... a brand new sea-snake was found after several decades ago being collected in the Mediterranean/Red Sea region . Wait for the follow-up ! The European Giant Salamander, Andrias ludificatio Sallipa, R. (2013) An Andrias sp. in Early-Modern Europe, Nature New Evidence for Giant Salamanders in Post-Glacial Europe Category:Reptiles and Amphibians Category:Amphibious